I'll believe that people are really suffering from the ever-increasing cost of gasoline...

[WillowTree]

....when I start to see people driving slower to conserve gas. I drove to my sister's house and back for Thanksgiving dinner today, 80 miles round trip, and I sat at the speed limit all the way both ways. And all the way both ways I was literally the slowest car on the road. Small cars, big cars, pick-ups, SUVs and semis were all passing me as if I was parked, even in the stretch where the limit was 65. And that, I should add, included at least one State Police car.

And don't try to tell me they were all republicans. Not here in Northern Illinois.

When-oh-when will people ever learn?

[XemaSab]

1. So it took you an hour each way?

:rofl:

[WillowTree]

2. It did.

Actually, more like 55 minutes.

And your point would be?

[provis99]

3. if you're talking about the Rockford-Chicago area

the driving and heavy traffic there scares the poop out of me; so I keep up with the traffic so I can haul outta there as soon as I can. On the other hand, in the backways of Kentucky-Indiana, I used to piddle along at my own slow pace. Context, and geographical area, is everything.

[WillowTree]

8. Lombard to Huntley and back.

I355 to I290 to I90 and then the reverse. 90 gets pretty bad around rush hour but it was easy driving in today's/tonight's traffic. Just cruisin' at 55 in the right lane all the way except for the stretch between the Randall Road toll plaza and Rt 47 where the limit is 65. No need to "keep up". I just stay to the right and let 'em pass me.

[nightrider767]

4. $3 a gallon is OK for most people

WHen it hit's $5, next year, people will slow down....

America is in for a real wake-up call.

We're living a dream....

[Bluebear]

5. Yeah, my 100 miles a day to/from work are not making me suffer financially,

and you can prove that because people are not driving slower in Northern Illinois.

:crazy:

[WillowTree]

10. I'm not saying that no one is being impacted.

But if the cost was really causing a hardship for people in general, they'd start changing their driving habits. And I just don't see that happening. At least not to any discernable degree at all in the Chicago area. Not yet, anyway.

[alfredo]

12. They go less places just as fast.

Milk is more expensive than gas. Milk $3.18 a gal

[LostinVA]

31. In a lot of places, people can't really change their driving habits

Unless, I'm taking a train/bus into NYC, there is zero public transportation where I live. My wife and I have to drive to work/stores/etc. We both drive reasonable cars. Mine gets 40-55mpg and her's gets about 25-30mpg. The cost of gas hurts us. Along with the cost of heating oil, as we live in a drafty house over 100 years old.

Lots of people can't do much about their gas consumption, because of where they live. I think we should have much better public transportation, but I can't see that happening, especially in semi-rural NJ.

[Deja Q]

6. Why was the 55MPH federal speed limit ever rescinded at all?

[JVS]

26. Because it SUCKED ASS!

[Alexander]

45. Well currently, cars SUCK GAS!

So maybe we should consider reinstating this.

Sorry if you need to be a speed demon.

[JVS]

49. Driving 65 is not being a speed demon.

I go about 70, tops. 55 sucked. I remember 1000 mile rides in one day at 55 and they took FOREVER.

[BlueJazz]

7. But if you drive Fast, You get to where you're going quicker and...

..save gas that way ..Plus the advantage of when you're almost to your destination you can Coast the rest of the way...saving lots of Fuel.

[Strelnikov_]

9. I don't think prices will ever do it

Trying to stretch out the months gas ration, on the other hand, will have a lot of people driving at their personal 48 mph (the velocity my car runs at peak mpg efficiency).

[Cobalt-60]

11. I ride two hours every day with the St Louis Kamikaze Corps

And I think these people drive faster every time the price goes up.
I get off work no earlier than midnight and plod home at 55.
And it isn't making me any friends, in spite of the limit being 60 or 65 most of the way
and actually 55 over part of it.

[CRF450]

13. I'll be suffering alright when next summer comes.

Thats when I'll have to drive my truck everyday almost for my summer job. 16mpg bites. Right now I only use it for taking the dirtbike to riding areas or on the trails.

[Solar_Power]

14. Driving slower is not the solution

Buying high MPG cars is - an SUV is an SUV

[Joe Fields]

36. Driving slower IS one solution.

Sure, it would be nice if everyone could afford a high MPG car or hybrid. But there is a cost you haven't considered, and that's the high cost of being poor; too poor to be able to buy new vehicles, and a lot of people are in that position. So, yes, driving slower does help.

I live in Kansas City, and I've written threads such as this one myself. I drive the speed limit, and get passed by almost everyone.

[magellan]

15. We do that too, and share the same annoyance

Cruise control on, pegged at the speed limit (70mph) in the slow lane, and we're passed by pack after pack of idiots. (That sort of driver likes to drive in a pack.) And they're frickin' dangerous with their passing, too, waiting till the last moment to move out and then just brushing by before pulling back over...all at 80+mph.

And it's not just on holidays. We make the journey to my parents once or twice every couple of months and it's always the same.

I think most everyone gets their drivers license from a box of Cracker Jacks nowadays. Just once I'd love to see one of these assholes busted by a cop for speeding and reckless driving.

[Basileus Basileon]

16. Those people aren't. Others are.

I'd say the people hurt most are the people CTA threatens to gouge with another fare hike every six months.

(Since you were driving the speed limit, it would stand to reason that you would never pass or be passed by anyone else going the limit, eh?)

[WillowTree]

18. I wasn't passing anyone.

And I mean I wasn't passing anyone. If there was someone driving on the tollway at 40, sure I'd pass them when it was safe to do so, which would mean that I might have to wait until there was sufficient space to pull into the next lane to the left to pass without getting mowed down by some jerk doing 70 in a 55 zone. And I had to slow down even from the limit a bit to wait for a sufficient opening to move to the left where southbouond I290 splits to access I355, too.

Yes, there are times in the morning when I'm driving to Aurora on I88 when I'm over the 45 mph construction zone limit because the rest of the traffic is doing at least 55 (many doing more than that) and it would be unsafe to go any slower. But I'm staying in the far right lane and the minute I get to the place where it opens up to 4 lanes again just before Winfield Road, I'm at 55 and I stay there until I get off. And about 90% of the rest of the cars on the road a whizzing past me. I respect speed limits faithfully unless I'm in a traffic situation where the flow and amount of traffic on the road dictates that I keep up. Fortunately, the ride home lets me stay within the limit, which I do.

I'm saying that over 80 miles of road today I passed no one, not a semi or a little old lady or anyone and I wasn't seeing any other cars ahead of me or behind me doing the limit or less. After awhile, you start noticing and pay attention and at the speed limit, I was literally the slowest car on the road. I hear people whining about the cost of gas all the time, yet I see just as many people wasting gas all the time, too, and for what? To get somewhere 10 minutes sooner so they can complain to someone else about the price of gasoline 10 minutes sooner? I hate waste in any form, but most particularly when it's unnecessary and the waste of something that we're supposed to be conserving.

And the CTA issues are a whole different story. For the record, there have been times when I was dependent on the CTA & RTA to get where I was going, & I feel for those people, as well.

[CRF450]

22. Problem is, is that most cars now are geared pretty tall with the 5 or 6 speed trannies

Thus they get better fuel milage at higher speeds. Thats usually the case with higher powered cars with 250+hp now. My Trans Am is geared so tall that I cant go into 6th gear untill around 63mph or I'll lug the engine, thats about 1400rpm's too! 5th turns the motor at around 2k rpm's and makes it burn more gas even at 55. My 01 Dodge Dakota is almost the same way. At 60mph the engine is turning at just under 1500rpm, thats the speed that it seems to get its best mpg. The T/A got its best at 74mph getting 31mpg! Aerodynamics really helps at higher speeds.

[NoGOPZone]

25. Not likely

One fact of the aerodynamics that you mention is that the force represented by air resistance is proportional to the SQUARE of the vehicles speed. It's very rare to find a car that gets best mileage over 60mph.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question477.htm

[CRF450]

28. I'v tested it myself, it gets its best from about 70 and 75, I'm not lying either.

Its all about where the engine starts making its torq curve, and as you should know, v8's have a ton of low end torq!

The 4 speed auto's do get their best a bit slower, because of the shorter gearing. Now cars that are bigger and not as aerodynamic as mine will get worse mpg at higher speeds (usually over 60) regardless of gearing, because the engine will have to push the car harder against the wind.

I had a 94 v6 camaro as my first car. Their tipycally geared shorter than the v8 models. Mine turned over at just over 1500rpm's at 55mph. It actually got its best around that speed. But I never stuck around 55 much, and I still dont lol. It actually didn't get much better than the T/A, and never even reached got close to 30mpg, but it did take regular so it was a little bit cheaper to drive.

Its just lousy to be putting along at 55 on an empty country road or on the open highways. Where I drive, traffic isn't bad like it is around big cities. So typically drive around 8 or 9 over, and on the speed limit in heavily populated neighborhoods.

[Oeditpus Rex]

35. 1,500 revs at 55?

Did it have the 4L60-E transmission? That had a 0.70 overdrive into a 2.29 rear, same as the non-electronic 700R4. That'd explain the low revs.

With a 1:1 top gear and a 2.73 rear, I tach about 2,400 at 55.

[CRF450]

37. No, it had 3.23 rear gear, v8 auto's had 2.73's usually.

The later models with the more powerful 3.8 v6 has 3.08 gears.

My 6 speed has the stock 3.42 gear, 6th gear in the tranny is a .50 ratio, 5th is .74. That .74 takes away its ability to getter fuel milage at lower speeds, unless I change out the rear gear to like a 4.10

They all had the 4L60E from 94 to 02 BTW.

Heres a good page for calculating gear ratios and such for these cars. http://www.f-body.org/gears/

[CRF450]

38. Hold on hold on....

Your car (assuming you have an f-body) has a 1:1 top gear?? I dont get that. I dont know much about 700R4's though.

[Oeditpus Rex]

39. I drive an A-body

'65 El Camino with a Powerglide — 1.73:1 low, 1:1 drive.



Edited to get that damned smiley outa there. x(

[CRF450]

40. Ah, ok.

Holden makes El Camino type of car. Be awsome if it here.

[NoGOPZone]

41. seventy to seventy five represents a significant

increase in drag over fifty five. Even the most aerodynamic of cars would be hard pressed to get better mileage at that speeds. I'll feel better about these claims when someone can provide solid evidence that modern cars can achieve this. Everything I've come seen indicates that it isn't likely.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/eng99/eng99540.htm

[CRF450]

42. Drag is one thing,

Another that determins best fuel milage is gearing, and where the engine makes its good torq curve. I'v already explaned it in the previous posts about my car.

Look up that link I posted and select 98 f-body M6, for the tire size, type in 275/45/17, it should already say 3.42 gears when you select the car type. Then click on calculate.

[NoGOPZone]

46. Drag is the MAIN thing

It's the cause of most of the forces that oppose you as you move at high speed. That's why I keep coming back to it. The other big factor is the resistance where the tires meet the ground, which is, in general, greater for wide tires. You know, like those with a 275mm width. :-)

Regarding your gear calculator. It says you should be turning about the 1100 at 51mph, 1200 at 56, and 1300 at 60. That's hardly lugging the engine, and I wouldn't be surprised if you got better mileage there.

[CRF450]

47. Idling at almost 1k rpm's doesn't the engine wont be lugged at crusing speeds

It has to work to push the car through the air and accross the pavement. It just doesn't make enough power at all in those low rpm's untill around 1300+ when it starts making power effeciently.


Please, find someone that has one of these cars with a manual and you'll see what I'm talking about.:-)

[NoGOPZone]

48. Two thing would make me feel better

If that 1300 RPM that you mentioned didn't seem so arbitrary.

If I saw an article that verified what you claimed. Something like what I posted

[CRF450]

50. I hang around on LS1tech.com alot

Many have gotten the same milage as me at around the same speeds. But theres alot of people on their that have modified their cars alot, like bigger cams and the like, which reduces fuel milage. I only have an aftermarket exhaust and intake and a minor computer tune, which did increase fuel milage a little bit from before. A better breathing engine does get better fuel milage.

I doubt I can find article like what you posted, most of them are performance oriented when it comes to high performance cars.

[stevedeshazer]

51. Let me get this straight.

Your Trans Am gets 31 mpg at 74 mph.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Yeah, right, I believe that. Aerodynamics.

Heh.

[CRF450]

52. If ya'll dont believe me, fuck it I'm not gonna explain it again...

because you obviously know nothing about the late model LS1's. I'm just stating the facts from my own experience and that of other f-body and Corvette owners.

I know that drag is a big factor of fuel milage, but compared to regular cars, the aerodynamics are so much better at higher speeds. Gearing and effecient torq curve is also a big factor as I'v explained it also, and I mentioned that my v6 camaro (which has the same amount of drag) got better mpg at lower speeds because it has shorter gear ratios.

[fizzgig]

17. that is a shitty indicator

the cost of gas is really hurting me right now (i drive a lot for my job and get reimbursed shit)

i drive my busted ass car within five miles of the speed limit and still get twice the mpg of most suvs

you can tell me i'm not suffering when you start paying for my gas

[WillowTree]

19. Not really.

No one's more annoyed than I am by people who drive SUVs when they don't legitimately need them (which would probably include the majority of the SUVs on the road today and certainly includes at least four members of my immediate family, one of whom seems to make it a point to always get the biggest, ugliest, most expensive monstrosity she can find short of a Hummer) or even cars that are appreciably bigger than they need. That's a different issue. Your line of logic makes just about as much sense as the one I used to hear from my ex justifying the fact that he routinely drove well over the speed limit back when the federal 55 limit first went into effect based on his assertion that if everyone drove a car like his (a TR7 at that time, as if that would be even marginally practical for most people), there wouldn't be a need for the lower limit so he should be able to drive as fast as he wanted whenever he wanted. Likewise, if the guy down the street traded in his Navigator for a Prius tomorrow, that wouldn't save you a dime.

That being said, if you have to drive a lot in the course of your job and the rising cost of gas is hurting you that badly, one would assume that you're doing all that you can to minimize your gas useage: driving slower, making sure that your maintenance is up to par, bundling trips whenever possible and eliminating unnecessary trips altogether. If you are, then I can respect that and sympathize. If you're not economizing on gas in every way you can, however, my sympathy level decreases exponentially.

Funny, but when someone gets so defensive when they haven't been accused of anything, it tends to make me wonder why. The point was that while just about everyone is complaining these days about the price of gas, few seem to be doing much to lessen the impact it has to be having on them. For those who aren't, it logically follows that they're not yet suffering enough because of it to change their driving habits.

[Marrah_G]

20. People are suffering over the cost of gas and oil

Many of us are barely making it.

[dsc]

21. I have taken to slowing down on my work trip

I used to drive about 75 and now drive 60 to 65. It saves more gas than I would have thought. I think the reason most people don't slow down is that they think the savings would be too trivial. For me it is close to a day's worth of gas every week.

[taterguy]

23. People can still be suffering and not live up to your ideals

Some people like to drive fast. I don't blame them. It minimizes the amount of time they spend on Interstates which is a generally unpleasant experience and something that people are willing to pay extra to avoid.

How much economic sense does it make that the overwhelming majority of customers at my local grocery store drive their cars there? Even though most of them live within two miles of the store.

[dysfunctional press]

24. people will not slow down to save gas...

if you think that people eventually will, you're living in a fantasyland of your own making.

that's why the 55mph limit had to be imposed BY LAW.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

27. Then you'll never believe

Statistically most people don't slow down willingly even when they're pinching pennies to pay for fuel.

Could be a part of that foolish mindset that time is money, I'm not really sure.

[Greylyn58]

29. I personally think that a lot of people are in denial

about gas prices. They don't want to believe that we are running out of oil, or that prices will remain this high. So they go along their merry way, driving as they always have.

Here in Charlotte, I saw a report that ridership was up on the buses because of gas prices, so I could be wrong about my feelings. However, I can't tell a difference with traffic levels and the way some jerks blow by me on the roads around here.

[AutumnMist]

30. Obviously you were not suffering cause you made the drive, and polluted my air

damn rich liberals killing me with exhaust fumes. Could be worse, you could have been smoking.... :rofl:

[The Straight Story]

32. Note- the above post was from me, did not know my wife was logged in at this pc

when I replied. Sorry hun! :)

[Mutineer]

33. I honestly think that if gas got to $10 a gallon,

people would still speed.

[Ezlivin]

34. I just installed magnets in my front bumper

Once I'm on the road I cut the engine and let other vehicles tow me to my destination.

[sarcasmo]

43. 150 dollars last week for five days work in my Taxi.

It's costing me an extra fifty bucks a week, or two hundred dollars a month. This will be my last year driving Taxi, the cost has really hurt me and I will no longer pay that weekly gas bill.

[Alexander]

44. I get 35/40 mpg in a non-hybrid, and rarely exceed the speed limit.

As it is, because it's Phoenix, I already have to do way too much driving.

I can't really afford to drive like a bat out of hell.